Thread-waxing device.



A. R. SCHOENKY.

THREAD WAXING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY II, I9I5.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Figi.

Fig. E.

5 9 lo n Inventor. Augus F-5choenK Wvg/JMW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST R. SCHOENKY, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 THE REECEBUTTON HOLE MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMAINE.

To all whom 'it Imay concern:

Be it known that I, Accifs'r Ii. Scnonxitv, a citizen of Ithe UnitedStates, residing at Somerville, county of Middlesex, State of 1Massachusetts, have invented an Iniprovenient in T hread-ll'axingDevices, of which the following description. in connection with theaccompanying drawing, is a specification. like characters on the drawingrepof the wax mass through which the thread passes at a sutlicienttemperature to keep it iii a propel' state of iuidity without dangerthat the entire wax mass will become heated Vto such an extent as toboil over. and also to provide means whereby any excess heat that may4be delivered to the wax mass through which the thread is drawn will bedissipated without eti'ecting any overheating of the wax mass.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel wax-containingreceptacle which is removably sustained in a receiver or holder so thatthe receptacle can be readily removed from the holder whenever it isnecessary to do so for cleaning it or repairing it.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a thread-waxing device inwhich the thread extends transversely through the wax-containingreceptacle and the hitter is provided with means to prevent the escapeof wax through the thread inlet passage and with novel meansfoi-,stripping thev wax from the thread as it isgdrawn through thedelivery passage.

Other objects of my invention are to improve thread-waxing devices` allas will be more fully hereinafter set forth.I

In order to give an iini'lerstanding of my invention .I have illustratedin the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now bedescribed. after which the novel features will be pointed out inthe-appended claims. n

In the drawings Figure 1 is an end view of a thread-waxing deviceembodying my invention; Fig. :2 is a side view of Fig. 1

Specification of Letters Patent.

with parts broken out to better illustrate the construction; Fig. 3 is asection on the -line 3 3, Fig. 2.

The wax which is usually used for waxingv thread iii a wax thread sewingmachine becomes solid or semi-solid at normal teinperatures, and it iscustomary to heat the wax in order to render it sufficiently fluid topermit the thread to be drawn therethrough. It is necessary, howeveiztoexercise considerable care in applying the heat to the wax because ifthe wax becomes too hot it deteriorates in quality and is likely to boilover. thus entailing extra work. In order to avoidthese undesirableconditions I have provided herein a novel wax-containing receptacle anda novel manner of heating the i'eceptacle by which the heat is appliedto that portion only lof thereceptacle through which the thread passeswhereby the portion of the wax mass through which the thread is drawn iskept at the proper temperature without danger that the entire body ofthe wax will become unduly heated. In fact with my invention it is notnecessary to heat the entire wax mass, but only the particular portionof the wax through which the thread is drawn.

In the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated the wax iscontained in a waxholding receptacle 1 which is removably sustained in aholder or casing Q, the latter being constructed to present side walls.the latter having a box-like structure in which the receptacle l isreceived and being open at the top to permit the receptacle to bei'emoved or placed in position. This top is closed by a cover 3 shown ashinged to the casing at l. said cover constituting the cover for thereceptacle l. `The wax-holding receptacle 1'is shown as having anoutwardlyprojecting flange 5 at itsupper edge which -overlies the topedgey of the casing 2 and which assists to support the receptacle in thecasing. Then the cover 3 is closed it rests againstthe flange v5, asshown, and thus assists in holding the receptacle 1 in place. Thiswax-holding receptacle 1 is provided near its lower end with a threadinlet passage 6 and a thread outlet passage 7, said passages preferablybeing situated in alinement with each other so that the thread to bewaxed may be drawn transversely through the receptacle, said threadPatented Apr. 4, 1916. f

Application filed may 511, 1915. serial No. 27,460.

`being provided to compress the plug more or less thereby to regulatethe pressure thereof against the thread and thus determine the amount ofwax to be left on the thread; This wax-stripping device is constructedso that the stripping plug 9 can be readily removed when it hasdeteriorated to such an extent as to make it necessary to replace it bya new plug. The construction herein provided for this purpose comprisesa boss 10 extendingfrom the wall of the receptacle 1, and into which isscrew-threaded a sleeve 11 having a central opening in which thestripper 9 is received. Said sleeve 11 has screw-threaded into theend'thereofy a plug-compressing element 12 having a concave inner face13 that engages the end of the plug, said plug-compressing element 12being provided with a central aperture 14. through which the threadpasses. Adjustment of the element 12 will compress the plug 9 more orless, thus regulating the size of the aperture through which the threadis drawn and consequently the wax-stripping effect of the plug. Thesleeve 11 is readily removable frnm the boss 10 and when it has beenthus removed the plug 9 can be forced from the sleeve by screwing up theelement 12. A simple construction is thus provided for removablyretaining the wax-stripping plug in position.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention the boss 10 is formed aspart of an element 15' which is rigidly vsecured to the wall of thereceptacle 1.

The means associated with the inlet opening 6 to prevent the escape ofwaX therefrom is. similar in construction to that employed for strippingthe wax from the thread in that Vit comprises a compressible aperturedplug-16 confined in a sleeve 17 that is screwthreaded in a boss 18extending from the wall of the receptacle 1, said sleeve havingscrew-threaded thereinto a plug-adjusting element 19 having athread-receiving aper- .ture 20. The outer end of the thread-receiv--ing aperture is flared, as shown at 21, to

permit the thread to have easy entrance. By adjusting the element 19 theaperture in the compressibl-plug 16 can be so adjusted that it will titthe thread suiiciently tightly to prevent the escape of any wax throughthe passage 6. This construction has the advantage that the plug 16 canbe readily removed sides of the receptacle so that the thread to bewaxed is drawn transversely through the receptacle.

One feature of my invention relates to the manner in which the portionof the wax mass through which the`thread is drawn is maintained in itsfluid condition withbut necessitating the heating of the entire waxmass. I attain this object by makinglthe lower end of the receptacle 1in which the apertures 6 and 7 are formed comparatively narrow in onedimension and providing means for applying heat to said lower portion ofthe receptacle only. One convenient way of making the receptacle is tomake it tapering so that it will have a pointed lower end 23, as shownlin Figs. 1 and 3, the apertures 6 and 7 being -formed in the pointedend. Means are provided for heating the lower pointed end of thereceptacle 1, such means being herein illustrated as a heating element24 having a groove or recess 25 formed in its upper face in which thelower pointed end of the receptacle 1 Ais received, as best seen in Fig.3. This heating element 4 may be heated in any=suitable way. l haveherein shown it as provided with a steam chamber 26 having a genera-lU-shape in cross section so as tov partially embrace the lower pointedend 23 of the receptacle 1, said steam chamber being provided with aninlet pipe 2:8 and an outlet pipe 27 for the passage of steam to andfrom the steam space 26, said pipes being shown as extending through theslots 200. This heating element 24 is shown as secured to the bottom ofthe casing 2 by suitable screws 29, said element resting on leveling'screws 30 by which it is properly leveled. With this construction theheat will be applied to that portion only of the receptacle 1 through4which the thread passes and as the receptacle is pointed 'at its lowerend there will be a comparatively small amount of waX in this heatedportion of the receptacle. The heat which is developed from the heatingelement 24 will be sufficient to maintain the wax in the lower end ofthe receptacle in a melted condition, thus providing for properly waxingthe thread as it is drawnl through the receptacle, but the heat isinsuticient to heat the entire wax mass in the receptacle 1 to a pointthat will tend to d .eteriorateA it or would tend to make it boil over.

It lwill be noted that the wax-containing receptacle 1 rests-loosely onkthe heating elec ment 24 and is, therefore, readily separable with whichthedevice is used. In the presj ent embodiment of my invention saidcasing has associate'd therewith an arm or bracket 3l by which thedevice is bolted or screwed to the machine with which it is used.

lVhile I have herein illustrated the steam chamber 26 as having a'U-shape in cross section, yet I desire to state that the shape andlsize of the steam space or chamber may be varied, depending on thepressure of steam which is used and the temperature which it -1s desiredto develop.

An important feature of the present invention is the following novelprinciple involved therein. The combined means illustrated are such asto give a continuouslycontrolled mode of actionl whereby in effect thereare two different portions or masses of wax, namely, a comparativelysmall mass 4which is subject directly to the high heating influence andthrough which the advancing thread is drawn;`and, secondly, acomparatively mnch larger massA of wax which not only is not directlysubject to the high heating influence but is subject to coolinginfluence, heat passing out of this part of the wax by conduction,convection and radiation. The `particular construction illustrated isvaluable for obtaining this condition lof things by reason of the loweror heated portion of the receptaclebeing tapered or restricted in atleast one direction so'as to give a small wax volume through which thethread passes; whereas, the upper or enlarged or diverging portion ofthe receptacle contains the unheated and comparatively large wax massreferred to, gravity serving to replace in the lower and highly heatedportion of the receptacle the wax con- -sumed by use, and the upperreceptacle portion being thus available for continued new supplies ofwax.

The described principle or mode of action, and the structure or meansfor securing the same, results in the preservation of a sort 'of balanceas between theA two different wax portions and the heat conditions," sothat the ture. There may be an extremely sm'all amount of wax somaintained in the desired melted condition. The heating means, ofcourse, must be adequate to make up for any losses of heat in this smallwaxmass, includ- 'ing the 4heat directly extracted by the waxed threadpassingout of the receptacle. Preferably,'the normal heat supply issomewhat more than necessary to maintain the described minimum heatconditions, and thus there is insurance against insufficient heating ofthe wax portion'through which the thread passes. Excessive supply ofheat, or a continued supply of a high rate of heating without aproportionate heat subtraction, is incapable of raising the temperatureof the melted wax to an injurious degree. This is owing to the'comparatively large mass of wax, which is not subject directly to theheating influence, but which on the contrary is subject to the coolinginfluences mentioned. It is believed that the action in thus preservingthe desired balance of temperature is somewhat as follows. The heatingdevice 2l completely surrounds and con-v .stantly acts upon the criticalwax portion sage of excess heat into the larger mass would take place toan extent dependent upon the excess of heat, so that dangerousoverheating of the critical wax mass is avoided.- A certain leeway oftemperature variation is permissible. The -larger wax mass is capable ofabsorbing heat at a comparatively rapid rate without losing its functionas a .balance preserver, this being due to its capacity for distributingand constantly throwing off its heat.

Generally speaking,thetotal result of the described action is thatvariations in heat supply or heat excess serve merely to causevariations in the volume or mass of properly melted wax at the bottoniof the receptacle, and the apparatus is so designed that the extremeportion of the larger mass of wax need Vnot ever become softened to thepoint of actually melting. j

Another advantage resulting from my invention is that the heatingof thewax is not accompanied by the evaporation of any of the desirableingredients of the wax. Where the entire quantity of the wax in a waxpot is melted and is kept hot, there will be a continual evaporation ofthe more volatile ingredients of the wax. This is prevented in Ymyinvention because the wax mass which i's maintained at the highesttemperature and through which the tread passes is entirely sealed by thewax mass at the upper portion ot' the receptacle and which is ota muchlower temperature. In fact, the wax mass at the top ot'tlie receptaclemay not be melted at all. or at least it is maintained at so low atemperature that a deleterious evaporation does not take place. As aresult all ot' the desirable ingredients ot' the wax :fre retainedtherein and a superior waxed thread can be produced.

IVhile I have herein illustrated a selected embodiment ot' my invention,I do not wish to be limited to the constructional features shown.

I claim:

1. In a thread-waxing device. the combination with a wax-holdingreceptacle having a thread-receiving portion ot' relatively small volumeand a wax-storage portion of relatively-large volume. said wax-receivingportion having provision for the thread to be waxed to passtherethrough. of means to apply heat to the thread-receiving portiononly whereby the wax in the thread-receiving portion is maintained in aliquid state.

while the wax mass in the storage portion remains unmelted and exercisesa cooling efl'ect upon the heated 'ax in the threadreceiving portion.

2. In a thread-waxing device, the combination with a wax-holdingreceptacle hai"- ing a thread-receiving vportion of relatively smallcross-sectional ai'ea and a wax-storage portion of relatively-largecross-sectional area. said wax-receiving portion having provision forthe thread to be waxed to pass therethrough, of means to apply heatdirectly to the thread-receiving portion only whereby the wax in thethread-receiving portion is maintained in a liquid state while the waxmass in the storage portion remains unmelted and exercises a coolingeffect upon the heated wax vin t-he thread-receiving portion.

3n vIn a thread-waxing device, the combination with a holder or casing,of a waxholding receptacle removably sustained by said holder and havingin opposite walls alined inlet and outlet thread passages through whichthe thread to be waxed is drawn, of a wax stripper associated with theoutlet passage, and means associated with the inlet passage to preventthe leakage of wax therethrough.

i. In a thread-waxing device, the combination with a box-like holdingelement, of a wax-holding receptacle removably sustained within saidholding element and having in opposite walls thereof alined inlet andoutlet thread passages through which` ing'a pointed lower end andprovided in opposite walls adjacent said end with inlet alid outletpassages through which the thread to be waxed is drawn. and means toapply heat to said pointed lower end only.

(i. In a thread\\'axin; 1r device. the combination with a wax-holdingreceptacle having a pointed lower end and provided in opposite wallsadjacent said end with inlet and outlet passages through which thethread to be waxed is drawn. and a heating element on which said pointedlower end rests and which delivers heat directlv to said end only.

.7. In a thread-waxing device', the combination with a wax-holdingreceptacle having a thread-receiving portion of relatively smallcross-sectional area and a wax-storage portion of relatively largecross-sectional aiea. said thread-receiving portion having provision forthe threadto be 'axed t0 pass therethrough, of means to apply heat tothe thread-receiving portion only` said waxstorage portion having acapacity for holding a suiiicient wax mass to absorb without becomingentirely melted any excessive heat from the wax in the thread-receivingportion over that necessary to maintainthe waxv in said thread-receivingportion in melted con- Y dition.

8. In a threadvaxing device. the combination with a wall of awax-holding receptacle provided with a thread passage. of aninternally-tlireaded boss on the exterior of said wall surrounding saidpassage, a sleeve screw-threaded into said boss and open at both ends, acompressible apertured plug removably confined in said sleeve, and avplug-compressingelement screw-threaded to said sleeve tor compressingrthe plug.

9. In a thread-waxing device. the combination with a wall ot awax-holding receptacle providediwith a thread passage, of a sleeveremovably secured to said wall, said sleeve being open at both ends` acompressible apertured plug situated in the inner end ot said sleeve andremo 'able from said end, and a plug-compressing element carried by saidsleeve at its outer end and by which the plug can be compressed more orless.

10. In a thread-waxing device, the combination with a wax-holdingreceptacle having a pointed lower end provided with inlet and outletpassages for the thread to be waxed, of a heating element having in itsupper face a groove or recess to receive the lower pointed end of thereceptacle whereby the heat will be applied to that portion of thereceptacle only through which the thread passes.

11. In a thread-waxing device, the combination with a holder or casing,of aflieating element within the casing, and a waxholding receptacleremovably received Within the casing and resting onthe heating element,said receptacle having provision for the thread to be waxed to passtherethrough.

12.4 In a thread-waxing device, the com bination with a'holder orcasing, of a heatin element within the casing, and a waxhol ingreceptacle removably received withm the casing and resting on theheating-element, said receptacle having in opposite Walls thereof athread inlet passage and a thread outlet passage.

13. In a thread-waxing device, the combination with a box-like casinghaving slots formed in two opposite walls thereof, of a wax-holdingreceptacle removably received within said casingl and provided vwith athread inlet and a thread outlet passage in opposite walls thereof inalinement with said s ots whereby the receptacle can be removed from thecaslng without removing the thread therefrom. v 14. In a thread-waxingdevice, the combl- 1 nation with a wax-holdlng receptacle having in onewall Van outlet aperture through which the thread is drawn and aninternally screw-threaded boss'on. the exterior of said -waIIsurrounding said'aperture, an openended sleevescreW-threaded into saidboss, a compressible perforated wax-stripping plug within said sleeve,aplug#c'zompressingA element screw-threaded into said sleeve andengaging said plug, and a" casing in which" said. receptacle isremovably received and which is provided in opposite walls with sibleaertured plug within said sleeve and adapte to be placed in positionthrough o r ejected from the open end of the'sleeve, and

a plug-compressing element screw-threaded to the opposite end of-Y thesleeve and by which the plug may be compressed when the sleeve is in itsoperative position or said plug may be ejected when the sleeve 1sremoved.

16. In a thread-waxing apparatus, a Wax holder, means for constantlysupplying high heat directly to'a comparatively small mass of the wax insaid holder, and means for permitting the passage of `thread throughsuch comparatively small mass of directlyheated wax; said holderconstructed to maintain such small heated wax mass and in communicationtherewith a comparatively large heat-balancing wax mass not subject todirect heating but adapted to take up and dissipate any heat excess inthe said smaller wax mass. v

17. In a thread-waxing device, the combination with a wax-holdingreceptacle having provision for the thread to be waxed to pass throughone portion only thereof, of means exterior to said receptacle to heatsaid portion only.

18. In a thread-waxing device, the combination with a wax-holdingreceptacle having provision for the thread to be waxed to lpasstransversely therethrough at its lower end, of means exterior to saidreceptacle to apply heat to said lower end'only.

19. In a thread-waxing device, the combination with a wax-holdingreceptacle shaped .to present at its lower end a comparatively smallcross-sectional area and at its upper enda much greater cross-sectionalarea, said f receptacle having'provision for permitting the thread to bewaxed to pass through .the

area, and means toA apply heat to said lower rend) only whereby thewaxfma'ss in the larger Yao lower end of the smaller .cross-sectionalupper portion of the receptacle is not subjected to the action of theheating meansl and exercises a cooling effect upon the heated wax at-the lower end of the receptacle. i In testimony. whereof, I have signedmy name to this specification.

AUGUST R. SCHOENKY.

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